Going to the grocery store can be a nightmare or it can be an adventure.

I tend to lean toward the latter when I go, but I also lean toward being adventurous with my cooking. Sometimes it's good to shake things up, get something you've never had before and make something new.

About two years ago, that was acorn squash for me, a funny-shaped squash that had a cute name and was begging to come home with me.

Even if I didn't know what to do with it, I knew I could figure something out. I created dozens of recipes, from roasted squash rings to acorn squash parfaits. Even though I've never had the need to make it, it's said to be great for making your own baby food, too.

This is one of my favorites that came out of my experimenting with acorn squash and it's the perfect time of year to pull it out. The squash turn into their own bowl with a convenient seat for the rice mixture. The stuffing alone is a killer mixture; I can eat it by itself with no hesitation.

If you have more time, you can bake the squash rather than microwave it, but it's not overly necessary. If you need this to be vegetarian, just nix the bacon. If you want it less vegetarian, try a sausage-based stuffing. And if you don't like squash, try stuffing a pepper, although you might want to look for a stuffed pepper recipe instead of a squash recipe.

Recipe is for one squash. For each additional squash, double the rice mixture amounts. Each squash serves two people.

For the squash:

Cut squash in half with a sharp knife. Remove the seeds, either discarding or saving for roasted seeds. Cut a thin piece off the bottom of each squash half so it will sit flat when the open side is facing up.

Pour 1/2 inch of water into the bottom of a microwave safe 8x8 pan. Place squash face down in water and microwave for 10 minutes on high or until squash "meat" is tender. Dump water out from pan and place squash, face side up. Be careful, they will be hot.

For the Rice Stuffing:

Ingredients:

2 servings Jasmine Rice(I use Goya, it takes 15 minutes to prepare)

1/3 C dried cranberries

5 pieces bacon, crisped and crumbled

1/4 C Walnuts, chopped

4 Tablespoons salted butter

Half of a small white onion, chopped

2 teaspoons powdered ginger

1 T honey

Immediately after rice is finished being prepped, add butter, ginger, honey and onions, mixing until butter is melted. Add remaining ingredients and mix until combined. Place half of the mixture in each squash and put them under a broiler on low for five minutes.

Serve immediately, pairing with a dry red wine or apple cider. Or whatever you want to drink, really.